TOP NEWS

The question was raised by Shiv Sena MP from Nashik Hemant Tukaram Godse, who asked culture minister G Kishan Reddy whether it was true that museums related to 'Veer Savarkar' and other freedom fighters were 'either very few or do not exist'.

In a written reply, the minister underscored that there are such museums in the country that honour leaders of the freedom struggle and shared a list of 15 such museums across the country. However, none was named after Savarkar or seems to be specifically dedicated to his life.

Even as rescue operations continue days after the devastating earthquake, there is anger and frustration over the slow progress by the rescue teams. The death toll from the quake climbed above 15,000 on Wednesday, as rescuers raced to save survivors trapped under debris in freezing weather.

President Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday admitted there were problems with his government’s initial response to the earthquake.

Here are the latest updates on Turkey-Syria earthquakes:

Amid the tussle between Congress and the ruling BJP in Parliament over the Hindenburg report on Adani, the saffron party MPs took a jibe at Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge's scarf which he had worn to Wednesday's Lok Sabha Session. In response to Congress's demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the allegations of financial irregularities by Adani Enterprises, Union Minister Piyush Goyal claimed that Congress chief Kharge is wearing a Louis Vuitton scarf but talking about poverty. He said, "Kharge ji is wearing a Louis Vuitton scarf today. Should we set up a joint committee to look into this as well? Where did he get the scarf, who gave it to him and how much did it cost?"

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has informed the Supreme Court in an affidavit that the entry of women into mosques for offering `namaz` inside is permitted. However, free intermixing of genders in the same line or common space is not in conformity with the position prescribed in Islam and that needs to be taken care of by segregation within the premises by the management committee, if possible, the board said in a statement.

"Considering the said religious texts, doctrines, and religious beliefs of the followers of Islam, it is submitted that entry of women into mosques for offering namaz inside mosques is permitted," the board added.

Apart from this stated position in the affidavit, the board also appealed to the Muslim community that wherever new mosques are constructed, this issue of making appropriate space for women be kept in mind.

The death toll from the devastating earthquake that struck southern Turkey on Monday has passed 7,800 as of Tuesday evening. In Turkey, officials said that 5,894 died and more than 32,000 were injured. In Syria, the death toll rose to 1,932.

A report by the BBC said that in southern Turkey rescue efforts were far from over and bodies of those killed in the earthquake were being left out on the streets as teams searched for survivors. A state of emergency has been declared for the next three months for the 10 provinces affected by the earthquake.